Services & Departments

Emergency Department

On average, the Emergency Department at University Hospital Geelong treats more than 200 people on any weekday, and even more people on weekends and during holiday periods.

The dashboard below provides real-time information about how busy the Emergency Department is. This information is also displayed in the Emergency Department waiting room.

Emergency Department Wait Time Dashboard

*Alert*: Due to a patient information software upgrade, the Emergency Department wait time dashboard is currently unavailable.

Rotate your mobile device for a better viewing experience.

Note: Please refer to the last update date and time.

Definitions

NORMAL

Even during normal activity staff are often busy and waiting times around an hour can be expected.

VERY BUSY

As we get busier, the number of people in the waiting room increases and the time you may need to wait for treatment gets longer.

EXTREMELY BUSY

When we are extremely busy, the waiting room often gets crowded and some people may need to wait more than four hours.

Patients waiting - The number of people waiting to be treated by a clinician across all waiting rooms in the Emergency Department.

Patients being treated – The number of patients who have already waited and are now currently being treated by Emergency Department clinicians.

What is a clinician?

A clinician can be a health professional such as a doctor, nurse, physiotherapist, psychologist, etc. Your treatment in the Emergency Department begins when you are seen by a clinician.

What is triage?

When you present to the Emergency Department you will be seen by a triage nurse. Triage nurses are specially trained and highly-skilled to make the first assessment of patients arriving to emergency. The triage nurse will perform your initial consultation, ask for your symptoms and perform routine checks to determine your triage category. Triage categories are used by staff to identify the sickest and most urgent patients.

How long will I wait?

How long you wait depends on the seriousness of your condition. The sickest patients are always seen first and people with common illnesses and less urgent conditions may be asked to be seated in the waiting room.

If the Emergency Department is experiencing normal activity and your condition is less urgent, you may have to wait around an hour, if the department is extremely busy you may wait more than four hours. The number of patients in the waiting room is not an indication of how busy the department is.

Please do not leave the Emergency Department without informing a staff member.

Going home

If you are discharged from the Emergency Department, please collect your belongings, including X-rays, medications and any medical documents. Please ask a staff member if you require a medical certificate.

Contact the Emergency Department at University Hospital Geelong

To speak to a staff member from the University Hospital Geelong Emergency Department, please phone 4215 0100.

The Emergency Department is located on Ryrie Street, Geelong and is open 24 hours, seven days a week.

After Hours General Practitioners / Medical Centres

Helplines

GP After-Hours Helpline

Victorians can now call the national after hours GP helpline directly for reassurance and practical medical advice. The helpline is free to callers from landlines within Australia and operates Monday to Saturday 6pm to 8am, and from 12noon Saturday to 8am Monday and on all public holidays.